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Sunday, August 19, 2001

By Scott Mervis, Weekend Editor, Post-Gazette

The naysayers who write off all this teen-pop as prepackaged hype would have gotten a kick out of the fact that the members of 'N Sync entered Heinz Field last night being secretly rolled through the back of the crowd in storage cases.

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That's how they appeared like Jiffy Pop in the pod at the smaller midfield stage. Meanwhile, up on the massive main stage, before they came out, 'N Sync set up a decoy with five Druids, in what could only have been a nod to "This is Spinal Tap."

That they would reference the hilarious rock parody speaks to their healthy sense of humor: If the "PopOdyssey" tour is going to be the biggest traveling stage show in the world, it's also going to make fun of pop-concert excess at the same time.

From the moment they emerged and slid down the people mover toward the stage, it was clear 'N Sync was there to have fun. And they work awfully hard to do it.

It's no coincidence they played the final concert at Three Rivers Stadium last summer and now the first one at the new Heinz Field last night, as there are only a few groups huge enough right now to be drawing crowds this big.

They made several mentions of the honor, including group founder and Clarion native Chris Kirkpatrick -- not minding the yellow seats at night -- going against the grain and calling Heinz Field "beautiful."

Chris Kirkpatrick (John Heller, Post-Gazette)

Although the stage banter has room for spontaneity, what 'N Sync does not attempt to do is be like stadium bands the Grateful Dead or the Dave Matthews Band and play a different set every night. "PopOdyssey" is all choreographed to a T, so what you get in Timbuktu is what you get in Pittsburgh.

Fortunately, the crowd changes every night, so the reaction from the audience -- heavy on teen-age girls, but ranging from 2-year-olds to grandmas -- was screaming hysteria. Actually, they had to scream a little louder considering all the little homemade signs declaring their undying love had to be deposited at the gate.

'N Sync opened with the new single, "Pop," launching a 90-some minute show that sampled their growing catalog, from the Disney days to the new, harder-edged "Celebrity." The five frontmen were backed by a legitimately funky and jazzy ensemble that put some extra POP into their slick studio sound.

Resident heartthrobs Justin Timberlake, with a buzz cut and stubble, and the shaggy-haired JC Chasez, along with Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass and the bearded Joey Fatone did their best Motown moves and an admirable job with the lush vocals.

Timberlake's biggest chance to shine was on an emotionally charged version of the ballad "Gone," while Chasez had his moment of blue-eyed-soul on "This I Promise You." As a quintet, they pumped up the grit for funk-rockers like "It's Gonna Be Me," "Space Cowboy" and "Up Against the Wall," complete with three Velcro walls.

Indeed, having made about a trillion dollars last year, 'N Sync was able to buy plenty of toys at the concert prop store to keep the crowd dazzled. Even Kiss would have been impressed by their risers, staircases, trap doors, lights, pyro and flying contraptions, though I don't think Gene Simmons would have cared much for the day-glo costumes, cute videos, mechanical bulls or dancing girls.

Well, maybe the dancing girls ...

All told, this "PopOdyssey" -- with its truckloads of gimmicks balanced by stunning vocals -- was well worth the $65 ticket. It may be prepackaged teen-pop, but 'N Sync looks to be the one to take it to the next level.